Why it matters
Delacroix paints the Assyrian king Sardanapalus calmly watching from his bed as his servants kill his women and horses before his enemies arrive. Inspired by Byron's play, its rich colour and violent chaos made it a key work of Romanticism.
Did you know?
- It was painted in 1827.
- A smaller replica from 1844 is in the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
- It inspired a cantata by Berlioz and an unfinished opera by Liszt.
Based on the Wikipedia article The Death of Sardanapalus (CC BY-SA 4.0).
